Table Design

Stat 365: Statistical Communication

Wednesday, April 24th1

Today we will…

  • The role of tables
  • Table design
  • Practice with tables

The role of tables

Use a table when…1

  • The display will be used to look up individual values
  • The display will be used to compare individual values rather than a series or trend
  • Precise values are required
  • Values involve more than one unit of measure
  • Values must be presented at various levels of aggregation

Table Anatomy1

Table Tips

  • Tables should be self-sufficient and stand-alone. The reader should be able to understand the table without reading your discussion. Use titles, row headings, and column headings to convey:
    • Purpose
    • Context
    • Variables (units of measurement/categories)
    • Data sources (in footnotes)
    • Definitions of technical terms
  • Let the data speak for themselves – Simplicity!
  • Organize material in a meaningful way
  • Tables should never flow across a page break

Table Example: Childcare Costs

  • Short, cryptic acronyms
  • References to prompt numbers not available to your reader
  • Excessive digits
  • Labels clearly identify the concepts in each row
  • The variable can be defined in the data and methods section or a note to the table
  • For a non-scientific article, replace technical labels with everyday synonyms

Table Design

Align numbers to the right

Select your font to be legible

Variations in tables

Unidirectional categorical items are laid out in one direction only (think long data)

Bidirectional categorical items are laid out in both directions (think wide data)

Highlight what’s important!


Boldfaced or Italic text

Size

Color
intensity
Position

Common Errors1

  • Tables that are too large or too simple
  • Inclusion of nonessential data
  • Failure to use shading and bordering in tables
  • Redundancy with text
  • Excessive precision
  • Not self-explanatory
  • Design elements interfere with the clarity
  • Inadequate definition of symbols or abbreviations

Packages for tables in R

  • library(gt)
  • library(DT)
  • library(kable)
  • library(kableExtra)

Practice in table design

Can you sketch out a table of summary statistics for your data?

To do

One-number Story

  • Work on improving your story
  • Canvas Submission due Thursday, 4/25

Listen to Storytelling with Data Podcasts (Data Viz)

  • For class next week